allendalepharm Chapter 368 Are you all satisfied with my strategy of using one tiger to devour another?
Chapter 368 Are you all satisfied with my strategy of using one tiger to devour another?
Upon hearing this, Hu Liena was both shocked and furious. She had no idea what the King of Slaughter was talking about. She seemed to have just escaped death from the road to hell, and was inexplicably accused of such a crime!
"Teacher, I didn't! I have no idea what he's talking about!" Hu Liena hurriedly explained to Bibi Dong, "What poison? What blood contamination? I just came out of the City of Slaughter, barely escaping death. How could I possibly have the mind to do anything like poisoning! Don't make false accusations!"
What she said was true.
But to the King of Slaughter, this was nothing short of adding fuel to the fire and sophistry!
"Still dare to be stubborn?!" The King of Slaughter's eyes were practically spitting blood, his voice twisted with extreme rage as he said, "The scent of that poison clearly originates from the same source as the lingering smell on you! I followed this scent all the way here! You've already obtained the God of Slaughter Domain, yet you left behind such insidious methods, destroying my foundation and slaughtering my people, and now you dare to deny it?!"
The King of Slaughter seemed to give Hu Liena no further chance to defend herself.
Or rather, he had already concluded that Hu Liena was the one who poisoned him!
"Since you refuse to hand over the antidote, then you'll pay with your life!"
With a fierce roar, the King of Slaughter's scarlet cloak billowed behind him. He stopped engaging in a battle of auras with Bibi Dong and transformed into an extremely fast dark red afterimage, instantly bypassing Bibi Dong in front of him and rushing straight towards Hu Liena behind him!
The next second, a pale claw covered in viscous blood-red light, seemingly capable of tearing apart the soul, slashed fiercely toward Hu Liena's face with a piercing shriek!
Before the claw wind even arrived, the terrifying pressure it contained had already made Hu Liena's breath catch in her throat, as if her soul was about to be frozen and torn apart!
"presumptuous!"
A chillingly angry shout suddenly rang out like a thunderclap!
Just as the King of Slaughter's blood claws were about to touch Hu Liena, a barrier of purplish-black evil light, like a flower of death blooming instantly, suddenly appeared in front of Hu Liena!
"boom--!!!"
The blood claws slammed into the purplish-black barrier, producing a deafening explosion!
The violent energy ripples exploded in a ring, distorting the surrounding space and carving a deep trench into the already ravaged ground of the camp below!
At this moment, Bibi Dong's figure appeared like a ghost, blocking Hu Liena's path.
The scepter in her hand, inlaid with a huge purple gem, firmly blocked the blood claws of the King of Slaughter! The purple-black light of the gem at the top of the scepter flowed, emitting an evil aura that devoured all life and light, fiercely clashing with the blood light on the King of Slaughter's claws!
"King of Slaughter! My disciple is none of your business! If you want to fight, I'll fight you to the bitter end!" Bibi Dong's blood-red eyes swirled wildly as she coldly shouted.
As soon as she finished speaking, the scepter in her hand suddenly trembled!
Suddenly, the purplish-black gem at the top of the scepter burst forth with a blinding light. Immediately afterward, countless twisted, wailing, and endlessly resentful and painful phantom souls surged out like a flood bursting its banks, overwhelming the King of Slaughter who was right in front of him!
These vengeful spirits are not physical entities, yet they strike directly at the soul, stirring up the darkest negative emotions deep within the target's heart, eroding the spirit, and devouring the soul power!
"Spirit Hall, don't think I'm really afraid of you!"
Seeing this, a hint of solemnity flashed in the King of Slaughter's blood-red eyes, but more so in his furious anger at being provoked. He snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and the dark red light of his killing domain suddenly receded and solidified, as if a layer of blood crystal armor had been plated on his body!
The next second, the torrent of vengeful spirits crashed into the blood crystal armor, making a teeth-grinding sizzling sound. Like boiling oil being poured onto snow, a large number of vengeful spirits screamed and dissipated the moment they came into contact with it, forcibly purified and annihilated by the pure killing intent and blood energy!
However, some stubborn vengeful spirits caused the light of the blood crystal armor to fluctuate slightly.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the King of Slaughter clenched his empty left hand into a fist and punched Bibi Dong’s chest. A phantom of a dark red demonic sword flashed across the surface of his fist.
"Insolence! This is not a killing city!"
With a furious roar, Bibi Dong's right hand, with its five fingers like hooks, condensed into five purple-black fingernails with eerie runes flowing along their edges, relentlessly grabbing at the incoming fist!
"clang--!!!"
The fists and claws clashed, producing a deafening sound like metal clashing!
The purplish-black evil power and the dark red killing intent clashed and exploded wildly, forming a brief sphere of energy annihilation that knocked both of them back several steps!
In the first round, Bibi Dong and the King of Slaughter were evenly matched!
But this is just the beginning!
After the King of Slaughter steadied himself, the bloodlust in his eyes intensified. He no longer held back, and with his hands clenched, the dark red demonic sword that had been hidden under his cloak was finally fully revealed!
This sword was over ten feet long, and its entire body was dark red like congealed blood. It immediately caused the killing intent on the entire battlefield to surge several times over, and even Bibi Dong's Rakshasa power felt a bit suppressed!
"You're a bit stronger than those trash for being able to take a punch from me! But that's all!" With a sneer, the King of Slaughter held his sword with both hands, raising it high above his head. The entire dark red sky seemed to droop as endless killing intent and blood energy frantically converged on the sword!
"Blood Prison Slaughter!"
The next second, the dark red demonic sword slashed down fiercely. There were no fancy sword moves, only a torrent of dark red sword energy that stretched across the sky and seemed to split the night sky in two!
Wherever the sword energy passed, the space groaned under its unbearable weight, leaving behind black cracks that lingered for a long time. The earth below was plowed into a terrifying, bottomless chasm by the invisible pressure of the sword energy. Countless surviving tents, soldiers, and even soul masters were silently annihilated in the aftershocks of the sword energy!
Meanwhile, on the walls of Tiebi Pass, which had been ravaged by war but was now unusually quiet.
Dugu Bo, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Marshal Ge Long, who had just returned from inspecting various parts of the defense line, were all attracted by the amazing sight in the night sky to the northwest and gathered here.
Even from dozens of miles away, the terrifying energy fluctuations—a mixture of dark red and purplish-black that tore through the night sky and shook the earth—were still clearly perceptible!
A muffled, rumbling sound, like rolling thunder, could be faintly heard.
Even here, the shock is enough to make people's hearts tremble.
At times, destructive orbs of light burst forth in the night sky, briefly illuminating half the sky; at other times, an evil pressure that sent shivers down one's spine spread like a tide, making even the weaker defenders on the city walls feel breathless and their legs go weak.
"That's... the direction of the Spirit Empire's main camp?"
Marshal Golong gripped his sword hilt, his face extremely grave, pointing at the sky shrouded in eerie light. As a soldier, his perception of energy wasn't as acute as that of a Title Douluo, but the destructive commotion was something no ordinary siege or exercise could cause.
"It can't be wrong."
Nodding, Dugu Bo's emerald green pupils narrowed to slits as he stared intently into the distance, his voice tinged with astonishment and doubt: "What terrifyingly powerful evil auras! One is filled with bloodlust and a pure killing intent, the other is cold, resentful, and carries a desire to devour everything."
"The cultivation levels of both sides in the battle are... extremely high!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze like a sword, seemingly able to pierce through distance, and said:
"One of the auras is of the same origin as that of Empress Bibi Dong, who appeared during the siege, but it is even more violent and profound. The other... is unheard of, but its killing intent has completely solidified. Neither of these two is comparable to an ordinary Title Douluo."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong's face was grim, and the space around him rippled slightly as he asked in confusion, "Are they fighting amongst themselves? Or... has a third-party force launched a surprise attack on the Spirit Empire's camp?"
Ning Fengzhi held the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in his hands, its body shimmering with light, seemingly trying to analyze the residual energy waves coming from afar. He frowned and said:
"It doesn't seem like internal strife. That murderous aura is completely different from Bibi Dong's evil power, and it's full of hostility. It's more like... two different forces, both having reached some kind of extreme, are locked in a deadly battle. Moreover, judging from the commotion, this is definitely not a test, but a true life-or-death struggle!"
This judgment sent a shockwave through the hearts of everyone on the city wall.
What kind of being could force Empress Bibi Dong of the Spirit Empire to take action personally and cause such a tremendous commotion? And what kind of being possesses such a terrifying aura of killing intent?
"Marshal! Sect Leader Ning! Esteemed seniors!"
Just then, a young general clad in armor, unable to contain himself, stepped forward, his face filled with excitement and eagerness, and said:
"This is a golden opportunity! Regardless of who is fighting, the Martial Soul Empire's camp must be in complete chaos and defenseless! I am willing to lead an elite cavalry force in a night raid, striking deep into their camp. Even if we cannot rout them in one fell swoop, we can burn their supplies, destroy their weapons, and severely damage their morale!"
"Absolutely not!" Another, older, and more composed deputy general immediately objected. His face was tense, and he said solemnly, "The situation is unclear. How can we know this isn't a trap set by the Spirit Hall? They deliberately created this commotion to lure us out of the pass to pursue them, then lay an ambush and annihilate us in one fell swoop!"
"Don't forget, Bibi Dong is a cunning woman, and her methods are impossible to guard against! We've finally managed to stabilize our defenses; launching a rash attack would be far too risky!"
"Vice Commander Wang, you are mistaken!" the young general retorted. "An energy collision of this scale cannot be faked! If it were a trap, the cost would be far too high! Look, the night sky has been torn apart, and the camp below is ablaze with flames. How much damage will this cause?"
"If it really is a third-party attack, wouldn't we be missing a golden opportunity if we just stood by and did nothing? If the attackers are defeated and the Martial Soul Empire recovers, their offensive tomorrow will only be more intense!"
"General Li is taking too much of a risk! Our forces are already at a disadvantage, and Iron Wall Pass is the key! If we go out to fight recklessly and lose it, the pass will be in danger! Who will be responsible then?" Deputy General Wang stood firm.
"Opportunities in war are fleeting! As soldiers, how can we be timid and hesitant!"
"That's just reckless courage, disregarding the safety of the entire army!"
The two generals became increasingly agitated as they spoke, and they even started arguing on the city wall, their voices gradually rising.
The soldiers around him looked at each other, some of them thinking that General Li made sense and rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
Some thought that Vice General Wang had considered things thoroughly and nodded in agreement.
"Enough!" Marshal Goron shouted in a deep voice, interrupting the argument.
At this moment, his face was ashen, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the apocalyptic battlefield in the distance and his two subordinates, his mind in turmoil.
As commander-in-chief, Marshal Goron was well aware of the importance of seizing opportunities and understood the bottom line of firmly defending key passes. This sudden change of events forced him into a difficult choice.
The next second, he looked at Ning Fengzhi and the three Title Douluos beside him: "Sect Master Ning, three seniors, what do you think? Is this... a trap, or a real opportunity?"
Dugu Bo, Chenxin, and Gurong also looked at Ning Fengzhi.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi remained silent for a moment. He looked at the energy collision in the distance, which was still ongoing and even becoming more intense, then glanced at the arguing generals beside him and the soldiers below who stood ready but were equally bewildered. He slowly spoke:
"The possibility of it being a trap cannot be completely ruled out. But the cost of such a large-scale charade is indeed unimaginable. Bibi Dong doesn't seem to need to lure us out of the pass in this way; she is much more confident in taking down the Iron Wall Pass by force."
"I think it's more likely that it was an attack by a third party. And this third party is probably stronger than we imagine, perhaps even... no weaker than Bibi Dong."
"But whatever the truth may be, one thing is certain—at this moment, the Martial Soul Empire's camp is absolutely unable to maintain a normal defense and command system."
"My suggestion is not to engage in open battle, but to take advantage of the chaos and launch limited harassment."
At this point, he suddenly looked at Marshal Goron, "Marshal, you can immediately select hundreds of the most elite Soul Masters and cavalry mixed squads, led by generals familiar with the terrain, to not charge the main camp head-on, but to flank from the side and specifically attack its outer patrols, supply lines, and scattered camps, burning any visible supplies and creating greater chaos and panic. Strike and retreat immediately, never lingering in battle, and never penetrating deep into the core combat area."
"At the same time, the entire Iron Wall Pass is on high alert, on the verge of the Spirit Empire resorting to desperate measures, or either side suddenly turning to attack us. All aerial reconnaissance spirit masters are dispatched to observe closely, but maintain a safe distance, and to ascertain as much information as possible about both sides!"
"In this way, we can seize the opportunity to strike the enemy and expand their chaos, while minimizing our risks. We can attack or defend as needed."
Ning Fengzhi's plan, a compromise between radicalism and conservatism, appears to be more prudent and feasible.
Upon hearing this, Marshal Goron's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded, saying:
"As Sect Leader Ning says! General Li, Vice General Wang, you two immediately go and select men. General Li will lead the team to carry out the harassment mission. Remember Sect Leader Ning's instructions: strike and leave immediately! Vice General Wang, you are responsible for strengthening the defenses of the four gates of the pass and all the passes. There must be no mistakes!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
Although the two generals still had disagreements, the military order had been given, so they immediately bowed in agreement and hurriedly left.
Just as Marshal Goron finished issuing his orders, the people on the city wall watched nervously from afar, each with their own thoughts, as the terrifying battle that seemed capable of destroying everything took place.
A streak of pale blue light appeared silently, as if emerging from the night, in mid-air in front of the Iron Wall Pass, no more than a hundred meters from the city wall.
The light faded, revealing a tall, slender figure dressed in a blue robe.
"It wasn't a trap, it was a scheme I set up to let that old bastard Tang Chen and Bibi Dong... fight like dogs. We can hold off for now, and wait until they're both exhausted before we step in to clean up the mess. Is my strategy of using one tiger to devour another satisfied with you all?" (End of Chapter)